This is not a book, but it is story. This is an ad created by 84 Lumber to air during the 2017 Super Bowl. It was deemed too controversial for the original ad and banned from broadcast. It is a mother and daughter’s symbolic migrant journey towards becoming legal American citizens.

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey By Margriet Ruurs Art by Nizar Badr Translated by Falah Raheem Published by Orca Book Publishers Age Range: 13 and older Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “An astonishing book that allows the humanity of refugees to speak louder than politics and introduces readers to one of Syria’s incredible artists.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Description This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer...

Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds By Jorge Argueta Illustrated by Alfonso Ruano Published by Groundwood Books Age Range: 7 and older Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Argueta and Ruano present a unique and much-needed perspective on the reasons driving young people to immigrate to the U.S. … extremely vital.” —Booklist, Starred Review Description Why are young people leaving their country to walk to the United States to seek a new, safe home? Over 100,000 such children have left Central America. This book of poetry helps us to understand...

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel By Firoozeh Dumas Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat A Kirkus Reviews’ Best Book of 2016 Description Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American...

A Long Pitch Home By Natalie Dias Lorenzi Published by Charlesbridge Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Description Ten-year-old Bilal liked his life back home in Pakistan. He was a star on his cricket team. But when his father suddenly sends the family to live with their aunt and uncle in America, nothing is familiar. While Bilal tries to keep up with his cousin Jalaal by joining a baseball league and practicing his English, he wonders when his father will join the family in Virginia. Maybe if Bilal can prove himself on the pitcher’s mound, his father will make it to...

Joseph’s Big Ride By Terry Farish Illustrated by Ken Daley Published by Annick Press, Limited Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “A joyful, upbeat tale that takes a positive perspective on an immigrant child’s first encounters..” —Kirkus Reviews Description A refugee boy’s determination to ride a bicycle leads to an unexpected friendship. Joseph wants only one thing: to ride a bike. In the refugee camp where he lives, Joseph helps one of the older boys fix his bike, but he’s too small to ride it. Joseph and his mother travel to America, where everything is...

Following is the keynote address by author Maria Testa for the Citizenship Ceremony held at Portland Public Library, Portland, ME on March 10, 2016 It is an extraordinary honor to welcome new Americans to our country. What we are witnessing today is, in fact, a tremendous gift to our country. You have honored all of us by choosing to become Americans. Those of you who are familiar with my work as a writer know that I have been exploring the ideal of America – and the question of who is an American – for quite some time. In my explorations, I have sometimes looked to my own family, my own...

Two White Rabbits By Jairo Buitrago Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng Published by Groundwood Books Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “An important and timely picture book for every library collection.” —School Library Journal Description In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the U.S. border. They travel mostly on the roof of a train known as The Beast, but the little girl doesn’t know where they are going. She counts the animals by the road, the clouds in the sky, the stars....

Author and illustrator Eugene Yelchin writing for The New York Times Book Review profiled the I’m Your Neighbor featured picture books My Two Blankets, Mama’s Nightingale, I’m New Here, and Seeds of Friendship. Read the article. “These books will inspire not just empathy for the struggles of childhood immigration, but admiration for their authors’ and illustrators’ ingenuity as well.” —Eugene Yelchin, The New York Times Book...

My Two Blankets By Irena Kobald Illustrated by Freya Blackwood Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “Loneliness, cultural displacement, tentative friendship, and an explosion of sharing and kindness are accessible even to very young readers.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review Description Moving is hard—but friends make it easier. In this stunning multicultural picture book illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medalist Freya Blackwood, a young girl has moved to a new country with her auntie, and misses all she’s ever known....

Lost Girl Found By Leah Bassoff and Laura DeLuca Published by Groundwood Books All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Africare.org, a charitable organization that works with local populations to improve the quality of life for people in Africa. Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description For Poni, life in her small village in southern Sudan is simple and complicated at the same time. Stay in school. Beat up any boy who tries to show attention. Watch out for the dangers in the river. But then the war comes. And when soldiers arrive in her village, and bombs...

The Turtle of Oman By Naomi Shihab Nye Published by Greenwillow Books Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “A warm and humorous peek at the profound and mundane details of moving from one country to another—a perfect pick for kids on the move.” — Kirkus Reviews Description This accessible, exquisite novel shines with gentle humor and explores themes of moving, family, nature, and immigration. It tells the story of Aref Al-Amri, who must say good-bye to everything and everyone he loves in his hometown of Muscat, Oman, as his family prepares to move to Ann Arbor,...

Blue Gold By Elizabeth Stewart Published by Annick Press Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “Artfully blending psychological insights with global politics and business ethics, Stewart demonstrates the interconnectedness of the global economy with elegant prose and page-turning cliffhangers.” —Karen Doerksen Readerly, National Reading Campaign Description Coltan, or “blue gold,” is a rare mineral used in making cell phones and computers. Across continents, the lives of three teen girls are affected by the “blue gold” trade. Sylvie’s...

In Too Deep By Tom Avery Published by Frances Lincoln Sequel to Too Much Trouble Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description “It’s Father,” my brother said. “He’s in trouble. We’ve got to get him.” Prince and Emmanuel are stunned to hear that someone who says she’s their mother is looking for them. Can it really be her, after four long years of separation? The boys are scared and suspicious. And then there’s another shock – they learn that their father is trapped in Tanzania, blackmailed by gangsters to pay off an impossible debt. The boys make a big decision – somehow they...

Reading Harry Potter increases tolerance? A new study conducted in Italy and England and published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology showed that young people that read J.K. Rowling’s series and discussed sections of the book that deal with prejudice showed improved attitudes towards immigrants, GBLTQ citizens, and other minority groups. More here. Imagine that. Those who identified with Harry standing up for mudbloods and house elves and thwarting the malevolence of the Malfoys are better citizens. Speaking of citizens and the need to be better, there are certain American citizens...

Same Sun Here By Silas House and Neela Vaswani Illustrated by Hilary Schenker Published by Candlewick Press “This tender and breathtakingly honest story about unlikely friendships and finding common ground will captivate readers…audiences will revel in this lovely story about a boy and girl who are not so different from one another after all.” –Lalitha Nataraj, School Library Journal Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to...

Diamonds in the Shadow By Caroline Clooney Published by Random House Children’s Books “Cooney’s Connecticut church has sponsored war refugee families, and her stirring teen novel neither sensationalizes nor minimizes the brutality of their experiences.” –Hazel Rochman, Booklist “Although a work of fiction, it is the kind of story that will give readers pause to consider the world outside their neighborhood comfort zone” –Pat Trattles, Children’s Literature Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Through their love for people, yet...

The Quiet Place By Susan Stewart Illustrated by David Small Published by Farrar, Straux and Giroux “Drawn in Small’s signature style, the delicate but vibrant illustrations, along with the pithy narrative vignettes, poignantly capture the emotional hardships and triumphs of the immigrant experience.” –School Library Journal Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description When Isabel and her family move to the United States, Isabel misses all the things she left behind in Mexico, especially her aunt Lupita and hearing people speak Spanish. But she also...

The Voyage By Veronica Salinas Illustrated by Camilla Engman Published by Groundwood Books Salinas’s musings on the subject of change will resonate especially with those who’ve had to move to a new home or immigrate to another country.” –Publisher’s Weekly Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description In this delightful picture book, a small duck finds himself in a place full of unusual creatures who speak an unfamiliar language. Eventually, he meets an animal whose big feet are just like his own. And with a friend by his side, he soon can feel at home. First published...

Refugee Boy By Benjamin Zephaniah Published by Bloomsbury Publishing “This book brings to light the plight of refugees everywhere…The book would be a great asset to students learning about diversity and how they should handle similar situations.” –Children’s Literature Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Alem is on holiday with his father for a few days in London. He has never been out of Ethiopia before and is very excited. They have a great few days togther until one morning when Alem wakes up in the bed and breakfast they...